


In Between

by kara_mochichi



Category: EXO (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2018-08-27 17:00:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8409523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kara_mochichi/pseuds/kara_mochichi
Summary: First day in a new home. First day in new school. First day meeting new friends.First day of not having his parents breathe down his neck. First d- oh god I’m gonna ruin it, aren’t I? What if someone decide to attack me while I sleep? What do they even serve for breakfast?





	1. 1

_First day. First day. First day. First day. First d-_

 

“…….. are nice.”

“…. so exciting. Right, honey?”

 

“Huh?”

 

Krystal is looking at him funny again and Jongin is staring from the rear-view mirror.

 

_Sigh._ “I’m sorry, eomma, appa. I was j-“

 

“It’s okay, honey. Just don’t get too lost in your thoughts next time, okay? If we want to make new friends, we need to be….. Umm, a bit..” Krystal glances at Jongin.

“Mindful.”

“Ah yeah, mindful. Let’s be more mindful, okay? Don’t want to drive people away on your first day, right?”

 

He feels sick. Krystal’s forced smile imprints at the back of his closed eyelids. _Sigh._ He opens his eyes and nods.

 

“Good boy. Now remember what we talked about last night. Don’t forget to eat -“

 

_Sigh._ He tunes out of the conversation again. It’s probably the 20 th time Krystal does that. He’s 22 now; he can certainly take care of himself. Well… he might forget to eat from time to time. There was one time he was cramming for his midterms and recital he barely ate for 2 weeks. But hey, that was one time. _Oh wait._ There was also time he refused to eat for the whole week claiming he was not hungry. How can he have the appetite to eat anyway after his beloved dog that he basically grew up with passed away, right? Or the time when Krystal and Jongin picked him up from school only to witness him walking with his hand linked with another male’s.

 

_Sigh_. There they are again, pushing through his consciousness, forcing him to acknowledge their existence. He stares out of the window not really focusing on anything. He hums and nods in agreement from time to time. It’s enough to keep Krystal going. Jongin doesn’t say much as usual, possibly blocking out Krystal’s voice judging from the tight grip Jongin has on the wheel.

 

He turns his attention to passing cars and start memorizing plate numbers. Something about memorizing plate numbers and the respective cars calms him. Like reading advertisements from billboards out loud, finding shapes in cloud formation, or following the dashed white road marking. It keeps his attention grounded to his surrounding and provides an escape from submitting to ugly, ego-dystonic recollection.

 

His eyes feel heavy. He didn’t sleep well the night before. He had mixed feelings about leaving home. For the first time, he’ll be living with strangers. It is nerve-wracking for him. He’ll be sleeping with strangers next door. What if someone decides to jump him? Thinking of living alone makes him feel vulnerable but also for the first time he doesn’t have to hear Krystal nags or pretend he doesn’t know that Jongin ignores his presence. He’s the oldest of two but he can’t even stay in one school for more than a year. It . His younger brother is graduating on top of his batch. Krystal showers his brother with gifts and Jongin takes him to soccer practice.  And here he is being thrown to the wolves. _Sigh_.

 

“Stop sighing. It’s unbecoming. People will think you’re unhappy or something. Don’t do it.” Krystal turns to look at him with a slight head tilt and tight smile. Her tone is soft but her eyes on him say otherwise. The clenching of teeth is also unmistakable. “Okay?”

 

_But I am….._ He looks down on his hands on his lap. “Sorry. It’s-“

 

“Yea, yea. We know, honey. Everyone is nervous on his first day but nothing to worry about, right? You will behave, right?”

 

He can only nod. It’s no use explaining. Krystal will not hear any excuse anyway.

 

“Remember, this is your third time transferring. We don’t even know what’s so special about performing arts or something. But you know, it’s better if this is your last school, don’t you?”

 

“Yes, Eomma.”

 

“Good!”

 

\-----------

 

His room is nice. There’s a white wooden study table just beside the door, a queen-sized bed with white bed sheet and white comforter in the corner next to the window overlooking a small lush garden. A white closet sits opposite the foot of the bed.

 

Everything is _perfect_. At least, Krystal and Jongin get this one right. He cringes internally at the memory of his room back home. Baby blue walls, purple bed sheets, yellow curtain, orange furniture. _Ugh, too.. cheerful and distracting._ Less is more. He can get use to this place.

 

He puts his duffel bag on the table. _Oh-_ he stares at the piece of paper on his hand. He can’t remember how he gets it though. Maybe the principal handed it to him or was it Krystal? He wasn’t paying attention. _First day_. _Sigh_. Bath time 5-6 PM. _Bath time? Dinner 6.30-7.30 PM? Group recreational activities 7.30-930 PM? Sigh. This dormitory is strict or what?_

 

“…. YOU!! FU-“

“PIECE OF !”

“ YOU BROKE MY NOSE ”

“WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE??? ! Yoongi, what did you do? Chanyeol hyung, Jungkook, help me stop them. , Jin hyung is going to kill us.” 

 

He can hear the commotion continues but he shouldn’t meddle on his first day right? He already promised to behave. But that doesn’t mean he can’t eavesdrop, right? He needs to gather as much information as he can about the people he’s going to live and possibly go to class with. He can hear some incoherent shouting and arguing but boy these guys sure curse A LOT.  It seems like this Sehun guy is pissed at whatever this Yoongi hyung person say to another person. The confrontation obviously does not end well for Sehun’s nose.

 

“I’ll get him to the infirmary.”

“I’m going with them.”

“Alright. Hurry before Jin hyung sees Sehun like that.”

 

Silence. _Did they all leave?_

 

“Yah. hyung! Where are you going?”

“ mind your own business, Hoseok!”

“But you are my business.”

“Fu-“

“You say again, I’ll-“

“ OFF!”

“Hyung! Wait! !”

 

He stays closed to the door for another minute just to be sure he won’t miss anything. Nothing. Looks like everyone leaves already. _Sigh_. The bed looks comfortable and a nap is long overdue. Two hours until bath time. Maybe he can sleep until then or maybe he can sleep until tomorrow. It’s not like he hasn’t done it before. Sometimes he wishes how his body clock works. Some days all he wants to do is sleep for hours on. On other days, he lies awake on his bed with his mind running a mile a minute.

 

His body feels so heavy. He has constant back pain and headache. He tries closing his eyes.

 

_I’ve only been here maybe less than an hour and yet people are already fighting. It’s not a good sign, is it? What if they hit me, too? Will I be able to outrun them? Sigh. Sehun sounds like a good friend though for defending someone else from his Yoongi hyung. I definitely wouldn’t want to mess with this Yoongi guy, hyung or not. And there’s Hoseok. Ah, must be nice to have a friend who cares. I wonder how that feels._

 

_First day._

 

_First day._

 

_I feel so lonely. Why here? Why, why? I was doing so well. Eomma and Appa must hate me. I don’t know anyone. What should I do? What will they serve for dinner? What kind of activities do we have? I just want to be left alone. Maybe I’ll just sleep until morning. I can do this. I can do this. I can. Right? It’s going to be fun. Nothing to worry about. I can make friends. Or maybe just one. Or two for sure. Maybe Hoseok? Definitely not Yoongi. I’ll give Sehun a chance though. He sounded like he was standing up for someone. Or maybe I can survive alone? I mean as long as I don’t attract any negative attention._

 

_The comforter is so soft. And smells like Jasmine flowers, too._ He likes the scent of Jasmine. It feels sweet but not overbearingly sweet. It makes him think of lush green hill as far as the eye can see. He can feel flowers growing beneath him and around him, surrounding him with gentle touches _. The scent is soothing. I should sleep. I want to sleep. But I can’t sleep. Sigh. The day is almost over anyway. This is not so bad. No broken plates or mirror. No blood. No shouting, ah, well- at least not from people I know so that should be okay. I can get through this day. No one has come to check on me. It’s a good sign._

 

_Ah I can see Eomma’s forced smile again. Ugh. Why do I have to be such a burden. Maybe I should check out the garden? The green grass looks comfortable to sit at. But that means I have to go out of this room. I’m not ready to meet anyone yet._

 

He gets up from the bed. It’s no use trying to sleep anyway. It’s almost 6 PM. Bath time is almost over. He makes his way hastily to his closet. He needs to hurry. All this thinking has him too preoccupied.

 

“Be mindful. Don’t sigh. Okay. I can do this.”

 

He carefully opens his closet. His clothes have been stored neatly and sorted by colors. Must be Krystal, always the perfectionist. Krystal packs him much too colourful clothes for his liking. It almost feels like she purposely leaves out the colors he likes: white, gray, black. _Sigh_. He prefers more neutral colors. They feel safe and calming.

 

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.

 

_Gulp. Someone. Should I open? What if it’s one of the guys from earlier? What do I say? What if they want to make sure I don’t rat them out?_

 

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.

 

“Hello? Are you awake?”

“I know you’re in there ….” The person on the other side singsongs.

 

 

I slowly make my way to the door. _Should I pretend to be asleep? Should I snore loudly? What if he knows I’m faking? How smart is he?_

 

 “Hey, I know you’re awake. Open up. Don’t be scared, I don’t bite.” He chuckles. “Unless you’re lucky.” He adds in smaller voice with a teasing tone.

 

_Here goes nothing._

 

“Finally!! Hi!!! I’m Kim Seokjin, the current dorm head!! How are you settling in so far? Took you long enough to open the door. Don’t feel intimidated, okay? I tend to have that effect on people but please don’t be shy! You can call me Jin hyung.” He smiles brightly

 

_Too. Cheerful._

 

“Yea, umm.. Hi? I’m –“

 

“Silly! No need to tell me your name! I know who you are! I’m the dorm head, remember? Nice to meet you, Park Jimin-ssi!!!”

 

 

 

 

 

\-------\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * *

 

 

Hi --- do you think it's too short for a chapter?? `~anxious~

I hope this isn't so bad of a start....? ~welp~


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "First" day? Or at least it's the first day that Jimin can remember.
> 
> If there's anything he learns, it is that chocolate pudding and milk tea can make his world goes round (for today).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been more than a year?! LOL.  
> This is unedited. I just had the motivation to pick up where I left off. Sorry for any mistake :(

Jimin wakes up with a headache and body pain. He feels so weak. _Why is everything hurting?_ He tries rubbing the sleep from his eyes but his arms feel so heavy. _Sigh_. His forearms are sore and they ache with just the slightest movement. It’s the feeling in your muscles the day after an intense weight lift or pull-down sessions. He tries rolling to his side but “Aaahh, ouch.” He feels sudden dull pain spreading from his arms, abdominal muscles, and down his legs. The pain seems to come from deep within his stretched muscle. Every extension or flexion of his limbs hurt.

“Ughh.” Trying to sit right up probably isn’t the brightest idea he has. _That’s it, no more moving for now._ He lies down flat on his back. All signs of sleep is gone. He closes his eyes and tries to calm his breathing down. It’s not the first time this has happened. It’s not unsual but it doesn’t happen all the time. Back in high school, there was one time he had woken up in a hospital bed feeling like he was beaten everywhere. He was not even sure if the ache in his body was only muscle deep. He suspected that maybe some of his internal organs were injured. Every movement, even breathing, made his chest and abdominal muscle ached then. Turned out, he didn’t get in a fight. No one had beaten him up. He just spent too much time in the dance studio practicing for the school’s intermural competition. He had not been eating well too.

But that was then. He could not remember what leads him to this state again. He just got to the dormitory yesterday. Few days before it, Krystal and Jongin had pulled him out of school. He does not want to think of the whys now lest they win and he loses. Not today. He didn’t do anything for almost 2 weeks while his parents were looking for a school that is willing to accept him in the middle of school year and recognize the academic units he had previously completed.  
  
He can tell it is cold outside but he feels warm under the thick comforter. _It’s 6 AM already. Why isn't Eomma waking me up yet? Oh- I can get used to this._ A small smile force its way to his lips. He sighs contently. _First peaceful morning in a long time. No waking up from shouting or condescending tone or worse, literally getting jolted out of bed. Not bad._

He tries to go back to sleep. He-  
_Oh no, only 3 more hours until my FIRST class. I haven’t met anyone other than Jin hyung. Rowdy boys don’t count. Plus I didn’t actually meet them. Oh no. What do I wear? Shit. How could I even sleep last night? Oh no, oh no, oh no._

Sitting up is painful. He could not recall everything that happened after he met Jin hyung. So much for being mindful. He must have fell or slipped or something. Nothing new there.

He tries rubbing his eyes only to be greeted by sharp pain on his forearms down to his wrists. He tries lifting his arms but all his muscles feel sore. There are some abrasions on his wrists and crescent-shaped indentations on his palms. _I… fell….? And, uh, broke the fall with my arms……..? Must be a pretty bad fall. Maybe I passed out and just gained consciousness now?_

He lies back down carefully. His body hurts everywhere. It feels like he just ran a 10 km marathon or climbed Mt. Everest or…danced. _Ahh, those were the days._ He tries to wiggle his legs but, “What the- ow, ow, ahh!” _Ugh. Worst morning ever._

Knock, knock.

“Jimin-ssi? Are you awake? I’m coming in now.”

The door opens and Jin walks in bringing a tray of.. breakfast (Jimin hopes).

“Hey, how are you? I bring some seaweed soup, a bit of leftover kimbap, I hope you don’t mind, and some hot chocolate.” Jin flashes Jimin a concerned smile. Jin sets the tray at the foot of the bed and looks at Jimin fondly. Jin sighs.

“I’m fine, hyung. Well, I, uh.. “ It’s Jimin’s turn to sigh. He bites his lower lip. He doesn’t know how to explain that everything hurts and he does not remember much from yesterday.

Jin sighs again. He takes Jimin’s right arm carefully and examines the wound. He does the same with Jimin’s left arm but Jimin has to extend his left arm more until it reaches Jin. Jimin winces slightly from the stretch.

“Sorry. I only mean to see if they’re better now. Well, the redness has subsided. They look less swollen than yesterday before we put some ice on your joints and betadine on your wound. But I hope YOU are feeling better.” Jin smiles again. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “Anyway, you need to eat. Can you sit down?”

“Yeah. I think so. Thanks, hyung.” Jimin tries to sit up slowly, with a lot of wincing, while Jin untucks the blanket and straighten the pillows to help prop Jimin up.

“I’m sorry about what happened.” Jin sighs again. “I hope it will not happen again. Can we have a do over? All of us?” Jin asks while he lays the tray on Jimin’s lap.

“Uh, sure, hyung. It’s fine. I’m- well, I will be fine.” Jimin tries to flash his best smile.

“It’s not fine!” Jin snaps and quickly realizes his mistake. “I mean… I’m sorry. It was your first day and..” another sigh. “I’m sorry, I hope you feel better soon and I promise it will not happen again.” Jin touches Jimin’s upper arm slightly and smiles. “Now, eat! I woke up early to make this soup.”

“Thanks, hyung. I’ll eat well.” Jimin starts eating but suddenly remember his classes. Jin seems to detect Jimin’s anxiousness and wrinkles his forehead while observing Jimin’s eats.

“You know, you can ask me anything, okay? I don’t bite.” Jin says in a teasing tone.

Jimin blushes. _Is it that obvious?_ He sighs and slowly lifts his gaze to meet Jin’s. “The classes.. “

Jin chuckles. “We are worried about your health and here you are already worrying about classes. If I were you, I would grab the opportunity to skip classes.” He winks playfully. “Don’t worry. You didn’t miss much. You can borrow notes from Taehyung. I already asked him to write neatly.”

“Oh..” _OH_. Jimin gulps. “Okay.” He looks down at his food. _I did not miss much? But.. Classe_ s only start today? Did I read the calendar wrong?

“Hey. Eat! And get some rest, okay? I will be back later to check on you. Oh, I almost forgot. The doctor said you need to rest for one more day. Sorry. I hope you don’t get too bored.” Jin observes Jimin’s expression. Jimin looks like he already knows it was coming. Well with his situation it is kind of hard to deny it. Jimin only nods and resumes eating.

Jin gets up and starts to leave but stops in his track. “Oops, your meds. Silly me.” Jin takes out something from his pocket. It’s a small medication box with different shapes of pills inside. “Pain killer and some vitamins from the doctor. Don’t forget to take them.” He smiles and leaves the box on the tray. He turns to leave but stops again in this track. He sighs and just shakes his head. It is almost as if he wants to say something but changes his mind at the last minute.

“Thank you, hyung.” Jimin says weakly. But Jin is already closing the door. Jimin is not sure if Jin even hears him. Jimin sighs. He tries to finish his food that now tastes bland. Even the lovely hot chocolate. He keeps scooping up the soup but his spoon keeps coming up empty. _Oh, I finished it_. Jimin sighs again.

_Nothing makes sense. What does Jin hyung means by sorry for what happened? I hurt myself, didn’t I? I… Fell? And I didn’t miss much? What was that all about? I can borrow notes? Did I oversleep?_ Jimin sighs again. Ignoring the pain, he lifts the tray and puts it on his bedside table. Jimin slowly lies down and closes his eyes. He tries to remember everything since his parents dropped him there. _I put away my things nicely, I heard a fight, I reviewed my schedule, I thought of my family, I felt sad but that’s nothing new, and then that’s it. Oh, and of course, I met Jin hyung._ Jimin sighs. That is all he can remember.

_Maybe it’s a dream? Yeah, most definitely. Either that or… I’m going crazy._

 

* * *

 

  
“Can you walk?”

“It’s alright, hyung. It doesn’t hurt that much.”

“Okay. Well, everyone’s been waiting for you. You can watch TV after lunch, too. I know you’re probably bored being stuck in your room. But I’m afraid you will have to watch alone, everyone else has classes.”

“It’s fine, hyung. If you don’t mind, I’d rather read in the library.”

“Oh, okay. You remember the way to the library, right?”

“Uhh, yeah. Sort of… “ Do I?

“Jimin!!! You’re here!!! Are you okay? Does it still hurt? Did you take your medicine? You look sick! Come sit with me! I made some awesome drawing this morning in class. Wanna see?”

“Taehyung, not now, okay?"Jin gives him a pointed look.

“Can we still sit together though? Do you want to sit with me, Jimin?”

Before Jimin has tine to answer, Taehyung drags him to the vacant seats in the middle of the table. The rest of the long table are filled with people in school uniform. Most of them look very intimidating as they fall and train their eyes Jimin since he enters the dining hall.

“Hey. Jin hyung said you still won’t be going to class with us today. I’ll give you my chocolate pudding so you’ll cheer up!” The guy sitting across Jimin offered with a 100 carat smile.

“Wait!! That’s unfair, hyung!! You didn’t offer me your pudding when I was sick!!” Taehyung pouts and looks offended.

“Yea, well you got yourself sick from eating all the ice cream we save for movie night! While Jimin…. You know..” The smiley guy looks at Jin for something to say then stares at his lap and adds softly, “Well, it wasn’t his fault.” _What was?_

Jin sighs. “Okay, that’s enough. Let’s just enjoy our first lunch together with Jimin, alright? Let’s eat.”

Jimin and the others start to eat in silence. It is a bit nerve-wracking for Jimin. It is as if he has done something bad. _Maybe I got into a fight? But why can’t I remember?_

Jimin feels someone touches his shoulder and turns around to see a nervous blonde guy who looks like he is about to bolt out of the door anytime soon. The guy sitting on Jimin’s right suddenly stands up with balled fist. He turns to send the blonde guy an intimidating look.

“Sit down, Jungkook. Now.”

Jimin does not know what to do. Jin looks totally different than the one Jimin is used to. The nervous blonde guy seems taken aback. He steps back a bit and keeps shifting his gaze toward the other end of the table. Another guy with platinum blonde hair stands up and steadies his gaze at Jungkook.

“SIT. DOWN.” Jin’s face is red with anger and his hands are shaking. “That includes you, Sehun. Don’t you all dare to ruin my lunch. I spent the whole morning cooking so you better enjoy it.”

“Kookie, listen to Jin hyung please. You’re scaring Jimin and Luhan hyung. You don’t want Sehun hyung to get mad again. And I’d like very much to taste Jin hyung’s chocolate pudding today. Pleaseee, pretty please.” Taehyung sounds like he is almost going to cry at the thought of not eating the chocolate pudding.

Jimin has not realized it until Taehyung mentions it but he is suddenly aware of the tears at the corner of his eyes and the tremors in his hands. Jungkook seems to suddenly notice these, too, and throws another look at Luhan before finally sitting down and stares at his plate. Sehun relaxes his posture a bit and throws a final glance at Luhan who nods. Sehun finally takes his seat but trains his eyes between Luhan and Jimin.

“I, uh…. This is for you. It’s from me and Sehunnie. It’s, um, milk tea we made. I hope you like it. I’m sorry for scaring you the other day. Sehunnie is sorry, too. He is just shy.” Luhan holds a tumbler in his hands which he offers for Jimin to take. As soon as Jimin extend his hands to take it, Luhan looks surprised but seems delighted. He runs back to his seat as soon as Jimin holds the tumbler.

Taehyung sighs while staring at the tumbler in Jimin’s hands. “I wish I was sick.” This earns him a pointed look both from Jin and the smiley guy whose Jimin has not learned yet. “What? Nobody gave me milk tea or extra chocolate pudding ever. EVER. Plus Luhan hyung’s milk tea is the best. Even better than that café.” Taehyung crosses his arms and pouts.

“Can we fucking eat now?”

“Hyung! Don’t say bad words!”

“Yoongi, for the last tim-“

“Yea, yea, yea. I get it grandma.” The grumpy guy besides smiley guy does not look to friendly to Jimin. Honestly, he scares Jimin but what stands out is the purple skin at the outer corner of his left eye. Jimin is not sure but he thinks he also notices a healing cut on Yoongi’s upper lip. He does not dare to look longer lest Yoongi will catch him.

The other half of the table finishes their lunch first and excuse themselves. Luhan catches Jimin’s eyes and sends Jimin a small smile before being pulled by Sehun which reveals some bandage around Sehun’s arm. Jimin sighs. So much for starting over again. This feels exactly the same. Getting bullied and beaten up. So much for thinking I fell.

“Can I eat my puddings and milk tea in my room?”

Jin sends Jimin a concerned look but lets him anyway. "Okay, I’ll help you get back then.”

 

* * *

 

 

Jimin stares out his windows. It has been raining since he gets back to his room. He holds the tumbler with the warm milk tea. He stares at it for some time before finally taking a sip. _Taehyung is right. Well, at least there is still one not-weird thing today. Wait.. Three.. if I count the chocolate puddings_. Jimin chuckles. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not really sure where this is going... I have a general idea but I'll mostly just wing it, yea? :)))
> 
>  
> 
> PS. pls let me know if I commit any grammatical error like SV agreement, tenses, or parallelism omission, also iit was originally a 1st person POV but I decided to settle for 3rd
> 
> PPS. I kinda don't wanna reveal the pairings and other characters yet...? Lol so I'll update them as they come kk?? :D
> 
> PPPS. this is my first time writing lol so be gentle but still let me know if I :)))))
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME A CHANCE BY READING MY FIRST CHILD <3333333


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